On the eve of the games, the author of the Cure for Everything looks at what the evidence says about the value of popular training and recovery strategies

There isn’t much definitive evidence that stretching is a good way to avoid injury says health-law expert Tim Caufield. So unless you really enjoy being flexible don’t waste your time.

By:Timothy CaulfieldSpecial to the Star, Published on Mon Jul 23 2012

Not long ago I heard an Olympian being interviewed on the radio. She was talking about her preparation regimen for the London games. She was articulate, engaging and clearly committed to her sport. She was the kind of athlete who makes it easy to cheer for the home team. But she also said a few things that caused the science-nerd in me to cringe.

She had a nagging injury and she earnestly spoke about all the sophisticated techniques she was employing to speed recovery. I knew that every single one of them was either bogus or, at best, supported by very little evidence.

As the Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and author of The Cure for Everything! I appreciate that Olympic athletes operate at the tail end of the bell curve of athletic ability. They reside in a world where a tenth of a second could mean the difference between “gold glory” and “also ran.” So, as a huge fan, I say go forth, Olympian, and do whatever you must to get in the headspace that will allow you to compete at your best, even if there is no evidence to support the effectiveness of your chosen therapy, routine or nutrition plan. The placebo effect is a powerful force.

But for us mere mortals, the impending Olympics provides an opportunity to look at what the evidence says about the value of popular training and recovery strategies. Remember, an athlete’s declaration that “it works for me” is nothing more than a bit of (often sponsorship encouraged) anecdotal evidence.

Performance-enhancing supplements

Research tells us that most elite athletes take a crazy amount of supplements (perhaps harmful doses). Intuitively, this makes sense. Those who do a serious amount of resistance training, for example, need protein. During competition, endurance athletes need to have carbohydrates in order to perform at a sustained level.

But are special products and pills really needed? Can they improve performance? Aside from a few supplements (we are talking legal supplements, by the way), such as caffeine (coffee seems to help everything!), creatine (a small benefit for strength, power and, perhaps, exercise capacity) and sodium bicarbonate (a small benefit for high-intensity efforts), few supplements are supported by good clinical data.

And some can actually hurt performance. As nicely summarized by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: “supplementation with various essential nutrients or commercial dietary supplements will not, in general, enhance exercise performance.” Indeed, you can and probably should get all the nutrients you needs from a balanced diet built around real food. Remember, unless you have a specific deficiency, there is little evidence to support the taking of any supplements or vitamins.

Sports drinks

Most of us work out not in the hope of winning an Olympic medal but for reasons related to health, weight loss, aesthetics and to get that exercise buzz (and research hints that the latter three lare likely more important to us than the first). For us non-Olympians, a glass of water, and perhaps a piece of fruit, is usually all we need. Unless you are working out intensely for 90 minutes or more (some say 60 minutes), don’t waste your money on sports drinks. In fact, recent research tells us that many people may be drinking too much while exercising, likely the result of successful beverage marketing campaigns.

People have many reasons for eating organic, including taste and fear of pesticides. But I’ve heard several Olympic athletes say that they “eat organic” as part of their training regime — a way to speed post-workout recovery, or so the theory goes. Once again, there isn’t a lot of science to suggest this is a good idea. (Especially when you consider how expensive organic food can be! Olympic athletes aren’t a wealthy demographic.) To be honest, despite its growing popularity, there is little evidence to suggest that organic is nutritionally superior to conventionally grown food. Some critics have gone so far as to suggest that eating organic is a waste of money. As Alan McHughen, a renowned (and fearless) specialist on the issue, recently told me: “Scientific evidence shows that organic is not categorically safer, tastier or better for the environment than conventional foods and crops. Why would anyone pay extra for inferior products?”

Icing injuries

I have spent hours and hours of my life with a frozen bag of peas pushed up against some sports-related injury; a bum hamstring, a twisted ankle, shin splits. I bet every athlete — competitive or recreational — has done this at least a few times. Once again, despite the ubiquity of the practice, there isn’t a lot data to suggest that ice does anything beyond helping with pain. As noted in a 2010 review of the available research, ice has little effect on “recovery time, function and swelling.” In fact, a research group from the U.K. went so far to suggest that icing may slow tissue recovery! One reason icing may not work is that it is difficult to cool the injured tissue in any clinically meaningful way. Think about it, your skin is a pretty good insulator. I should know. I live in Edmonton. Brrrr.

Stretching as a way to avoid injuries

Many commentators have recently touched on this one, but given the context, I couldn’t resist mentioning it again. The bottom line: There isn’t much definitive evidence to support the practice. Unless you really enjoy being flexible or have some professional or interpersonal need for flexibility (no judgment), don’t waste your time.

Laser therapy

There are many therapies out there that sound like they ought to be effective, mostly because they are rationalized by a bunch of scientific-sounding terminology. The Olympian I heard on the radio made specific reference to this technique. She had a broken bone and seemed to believe that using a laser would facilitate healing. Lasers are high-tech, cool and good at removing tattoos, but there is little evidence they will help muscles or bones recover from injury. OK, to be fair, there is a little evidence. But, at best, I would categorize this as experimental stuff, though I remain highly skeptical. The sad truth is that aside from a few standard approaches (e.g., rest, active recovery, appropriate strengthening exercises), not much can be done to drastically speed recovery time for most bone and muscle injuries.

In the end, you can ignore the hype about just about every training or recovery aid. Keep it simple. Work hard, eat well and have fun.

Timothy Caulfield is the author of The Cure for Everything! and is striving to live gimmick free.

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